Chapter Ten: Thunderous Roar

Ye Feng and Xia Ling took a nap together. After waking up, Ye Feng took a few pieces of black-boned chicken from the fridge and placed them in a double-boiler. He was about to head out shopping. Xia Ling was dressed in the white shorts and yellow T-shirt Ye Feng had bought for her, adding a touch of vitality to the chill in the air.

“Where should we go shopping?” Ye Feng asked.

“Student Street!”

Student Street was famous for its cheap goods. Most of its patrons were students, without much income—those with money were rare. Yet, the street offered many items with excellent value for the price.

Ye Feng wondered if the clothes he’d bought for her were too expensive. He himself thought so—it was just a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, costing over two thousand. That was a place for the rich, and though Ye Feng wasn’t short on money, he disliked such places; they lacked authenticity.

“I like Student Street too!”

It was still summer break. Most students were away, and freshmen hadn’t yet arrived, so Student Street was relatively calm. Still, some students hadn’t gone home; some worked to earn tuition, others prepared for graduate exams—everyone had their own reasons.

Xia Ling wandered ahead, occasionally pausing to look at cute, pink, girlish items. Ye Feng simply followed behind.

“Cold as ice, but still just a little girl,” Ye Feng muttered, turning instead to browse electronic gadgets.

Xia Ling attracted a lot of attention. Young men glanced at her, blushed, looked away, but couldn’t help sneaking another look. Seeing Ye Feng at her side, they cursed under their breath, “All the good cabbages are eaten by pigs!” Shaking their heads, they secretly envied Ye Feng; after all, who wouldn’t want such a beautiful girlfriend?

Couples wandered the street. When faced with such a sight, boys couldn’t resist sneaking glances, thinking their girlfriends didn’t notice. But women’s intuition was sharp; their unusual behavior was quickly detected. The gentle ones scolded and sulked, while the fiery ones tugged their boyfriends’ ears, “Caught you looking! Think I’m not pretty enough, huh...”

Wherever Xia Ling went, she stirred up a ripple of excitement, but it never lasted long. Meanwhile, Ye Feng’s arms grew heavier with shopping bags.

“Pink Hello Kitty bed sheets, covers, toiletries…”

Upstairs in a café on Student Street, a muscular man sipped coffee leisurely, surrounded by four frail followers, who chimed in with their boss from time to time.

Suddenly, one of the underlings noticed Xia Ling’s arrival and stared, eyes wide.

“Boss! Beau...tiful...girl...!”

Seeing his subordinate’s idiotic expression, the muscular man sneered, “Never seen a woman before? Guess you’re too young. I’ve had more women than you’ve ever laid eyes on. Not to brag, but here at HB University, I’ve been with every type—innocent, seductive, busty, flat-chested, you name it.”

He grew more boastful, but his underlings’ eyes remained glued to the street below.

“What’s so interesting?” The boss prided himself on his experience, determined not to look, though in truth he was itching to see what kind of beauty had caught their attention. Even the most seasoned wanted a glimpse.

“Boss, apart from her modest chest, her figure and face are top-notch!” an underling wiped drool from his mouth.

“What’s the appeal of a small chest? Let me tell you, a woman’s chest—” The muscular man started to turn and look. He’d intended to say a woman must be well-endowed to be feminine, but at the moment he saw Xia Ling, his tongue froze.

“Damn, so pure!” He swallowed hard.

“The guy behind her—is he her boyfriend?” the boss pointed to Ye Feng.

“Seems so. How could such a gorgeous girl pick a loser like him? Boss, she’d be better off with you!” an underling said. In men’s eyes, beauties’ boyfriends never measure up. If a beautiful girl has a man beside her, he’s always considered unworthy—only oneself is fit for her.

“Doesn’t sound like you’re complimenting me,” the boss grumbled, feeling the remark was off.

“Boss, how about…”

Before the underling finished, five or six young men surrounded Xia Ling and Ye Feng.

“They look like Scar’s men. Daring to cause trouble on my turf!” The boss in the café frowned.

“Boss, here’s your chance to play hero!”

“Cut the nonsense. By the way, what were you about to say?” the boss recalled his underling had something to tell him.

“I was thinking we could pretend to be bad guys and harass her, then you’d swoop in to save the day—she’d surely fall for you. But now these guys have done us a favor.”

“Haha, if this works out, I’ll owe them a big thanks.”

The men surrounding Xia Ling and Ye Feng began with the usual lines: “Hey beautiful, let’s get to know each other, maybe talk about life in a hotel…” If refused, they threatened, “We’ll all take turns discussing life with you.”

By the time the muscular boss arrived, their opening remarks were nearly complete.

Nearby vendors sensed trouble. Though they wanted to help the girl, they knew the local power dynamics too well and kept their distance.

“Looks like we’ll have to do it ourselves,” one of the men leered at Xia Ling.

Xia Ling saw Ye Feng still loaded with bags, showing no sign of putting them down, and grew a little angry. “Are you a man or not?”

If she weren’t injured, she wouldn’t need a man’s help—she’d have settled them herself. But her injury still hadn’t healed. These young men looked like they’d trained a bit. She’d barely survived a fight with an old man and two thugs; now, she had to rely on Ye Feng.

“I’m helping you carry things, aren’t I? Where else can you find such a considerate man? Meeting me is a blessing. Besides, they only said they wanted to discuss life with you at a hotel—they didn’t say they’d do anything else,” Ye Feng replied coolly.

“This gentleman is absolutely right. Since your boyfriend agrees, come with us—we’ll be very gentle. Haha…” One man grinned, showing a mouthful of black teeth.

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

“True, he’s abandoning you at a dangerous moment. Such a man isn’t reliable. Come with me instead—I’ll make sure you live the good life,” the man said, his smile growing wider.

As they drew closer, Ye Feng remained unmoved. Xia Ling didn’t panic; she gently lifted her foot and stomped hard on Ye Feng’s.

“Stop!” The muscular boss shouted at the same moment Ye Feng cried out.

“Ouch! Are you trying to kill me?” Ye Feng exclaimed.

“If you want to discuss life with them, go ahead,” Xia Ling glared at Ye Feng.

“Calm under pressure—this beauty, I like her!” The muscular boss called out, then turned to the youths and shouted, “Have you forgotten our agreement? You’re Scar’s men, right? What are you doing on my turf? No scars? Feeling ashamed? Want to earn a few?”

“Thunder! You’re Thunder!” a youth shouted.

Near HB University, there were three major forces: the largest, led by the Three Young Masters, controlled the east and north; Scar’s group was second, holding the west; the weakest, led by Thunder, ruled the south, though it was the most prosperous area.

The Three Young Masters’ dominance came from the terrifying backgrounds of its three founders—no one dared provoke them.

Scar’s gang was notorious for brutality—the more scars, the more respect. That’s why Thunder taunted them about wanting to earn a few.

Thunder, though weakest in power, treated the shopkeepers in his territory with humanity; thus, many did business there, making his area increasingly prosperous. “Oh, you recognize me. Yet you dare act up on my turf?”

“This woman is a gift for our boss, Scar. Are you going to stop us?” the youth brandished his boss as a threat.

“Ridiculous! If I feared him, I wouldn’t be here. Rob elsewhere if you want, but on my turf, you won’t lay a finger on her,” Thunder declared fiercely.

“Boss, you said it perfectly!” an underling exclaimed, fired up.

“Your group ranks third, but you occupy the best, most prosperous area—doesn’t seem right,” the youth said with a smile, hinting that Thunder’s gang didn’t deserve such a bustling street.

“Prosperous? Do you know why? Do you know which areas were once the most prosperous? Yours! You bullied the shopkeepers, made it hard for them to earn a living, so they all moved here. Now you’re jealous of my thriving territory?” Thunder retorted. “But you don’t seem qualified to negotiate with me.”

“Brothers! Give these guys a little color—so they can go back with some dignity!” Thunder shouted angrily.

“Yes, boss!” Four underlings rushed forward but hesitated, seeing five or six opponents.

“Boss, they’ve got numbers. Maybe you should handle it. Looks like playing hero won’t work out for us,” the four said.

“You’re useless! I told you to train more, but you never listen. Step back!” Thunder rolled up his sleeves, revealing muscular arms, and strode toward the youths.

“Yes!” His underlings cheered.

The youths retreated, clearly intimidated.

“Thunder, you’re strong, but today your opponent isn’t us!” the leading youth sneered.

“Not you?” Thunder was startled—was this a setup targeting him?

“Your opponent is me! Ranked fiftieth on the Assassin List—‘Dark Cleaver’!” A cold voice came from behind Thunder.

“The Assassin List! You actually hired someone from the List?” Thunder’s eyes widened, his aura instantly fading. He could fight, but those ranked assassins were far out of his league.

The Assassin List was infamous—a roster of killers whose strength was terrifying. Anyone who encountered one seldom survived.

“Fiftieth and you have the nerve to announce it?” Xia Ling scoffed. “On the Assassin List, anyone outside the top three is trash!”